Why so many covid 19 cases and deaths in LA County (Los Angeles: smog, businesses)

[goodheathen]

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...rsing/2903558/
Why weren't N95 masks required there for the entire past year? People around here are allergic to rules.

[CA4Now]

"UCLA has ordered a mask mandate in indoor settings on campus, effective Friday (5/27/22), as coronavirus cases continue to climb in Los Angeles County.

Officials said the mask order was needed to avoid disrupting in-person learning and campus activities, including graduation.

“An important strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19, in addition to ongoing testing and daily symptom monitoring, is the consistent use of well-fitting masks indoors,” the campus said in a letter Thursday.

The mask order will remain in place through at least June 15 for “all students, staff, faculty, affiliates and visitors to the UCLA campus, regardless of vaccination status,” the letter said.

The number of cases at UCLA is high enough that the campus is in its severe COVID-19 tier, the worst of four levels used by campus decision-makers."

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...rus-cases-rise

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Why doesn't UCLA stop accepting international students, since every time we've heard of a new Covid variant, it had originated on the other side of the planet, and then ended up here?

Hello?

Earth to UCLA...hello?

Hello?

Is this thing on?!

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Has Barbs Ferrer ever explained why, while many of us were quarantining, wearing masks, etc., passenger flights from all over the world were landing at LAX and the passengers were free to leave the airport and traipse around L.A. to spread all the latest variants?

You can't blame Ferrer for that.

"In some instances, the federal response exceeded inadequacy and became downright harmful.

A complete catalog of (the former administration's) failures to adequately address the pandemic is the stuff of books, not single articles. But a quick summary:.....he banned many travelers from China but squandered the time the move bought him by failing to set up an adequate testing and tracing program; he encouraged states to reopen ahead of his own Administration’s guidelines...."

https://time.com/5879086/us-covid-19/

[CA4Now]

"Projections show L.A. County could enter the worst COVID-19 community level within three weeks, around the official start of summer.

“There is no certainty with this date. Actual hospital admission rates could increase at a faster rate. Or if case numbers stabilize or decrease in the next two weeks, the rate of increase in hospitalizations could be a lot lower,” Ferrer said.

“As we look to the near future, it reminds us that we ourselves also have the ability to influence where these numbers go. We all have the power to take steps to reduce the amount of viral spread, which ultimately reduces the number of people that are in the hospital with a positive COVID-19 infection,” Ferrer said.

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...k-order-coming

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Originally Posted by CA4Now

You can't blame Ferrer for that.

"In some instances, the federal response exceeded inadequacy and became downright harmful.

A complete catalog of (the former administration's) failures to adequately address the pandemic is the stuff of books, not single articles. But a quick summary:.....he banned many travelers from China but squandered the time the move bought him by failing to set up an adequate testing and tracing program; he encouraged states to reopen ahead of his own Administration’s guidelines...."

https://time.com/5879086/us-covid-19/

I don't blame her. And regarding "the former administration", there were quite a number of accusations of "xenophobia" when travel bans were suggested. And I recall one legislator even walking around a certain San Francisco event saying, to the effect, "Come on down...no worries...don't be a silly xenophobe like that mean Twitter guy." And so forth.

[CA4Now]

"New Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are still rare in Los Angeles County, but there have been small increases recently, especially for BA.4.

The most common variant in L.A. County is BA.2.12.1, a version of Omicron with a gnarly Delta twist. An aggravating combination of both variants, it spreads faster than the original Omicron and has a genetic mutation on its spike protein that helps it skirt past existing immunity from a prior Omicron infection.

In L.A. County, the case rate was up 10% from the week before, following about a week-long period where it seemed as if cases had flattened or started to decrease. The state’s most populous county was averaging about 4,900 cases a day, or 341 cases a week for every 100,000 residents."

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...-in-california

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

I would have liked a better effort to isolate instances of the virus and not allow it to be brought here via international travel.

We don't have much of a chance against the airline and tourism industries.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Airline and tourism groups have been pressing the administration for months to eliminate the testing requirement, saying it discouraged people from booking international trips.

U.S. to lift COVID-19 test requirement for international air arrivals:
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation...ional-arrivals

[CA4Now]

Daily COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles County are in the single digits now and seem to be holding or declining.

LA County Daily COVID-19 Data - LA County Department of Public Health

[CA4Now]

"Health officials have since April tracked a “fairly steady increase in reported worksite case clusters,” including 301 in the past week, up from 251 the week prior, according to Ferrer. That’s a 20% increase between those two weeks, worse than the prior week-over-week increase of 12%.

There are a number of factors likely fueling the increase, Ferrer told reporters Thursday. Those include fewer staff members and customers wearing masks, more meetings and events being held indoors on site and some employees coming to work even though they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Over the last week, the county has reported an average of about 5,100 cases a day, according to Ferrer. That’s a 20% jump from a week ago

Hospitalizations, too, are increasing steadily. As of Wednesday, 808 coronavirus-positive patients were hospitalized countywide — up 34% in the past two weeks.

A greater share of visits to L.A. County’s emergency rooms are being blamed on coronavirus-related reasons. Over the last week, 8% of emergency department visits were coronavirus-related; a month ago, it was 5%."

https://www.latimes.com/california/s...nty-workplaces